Abstract
Objective. Describe the status of language access services for California's limited English proficient (LEP) health maintenance organization (HMO) members within the context of voluntary public reporting and anticipated state regulation. Study design. Descriptive analysis of longitudinal data provided by health plans. Methods. Retrospective, descriptive analysis of responses to voluntary annual/biennial surveys of commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and Healthy Families HMOs, 2003-2008. Results. From 2003 to 2008, during California's public reporting of HMO language services, the percentage of HMOs providing in-person interpretation free of charge to consumers increased to over 80% across all product lines. By 2008, the percentage of commercial HMO plans matching new LEP members to providers by language increased to 70%, while 79% provided telephone interpretation services in at least seven languages. Conclusions. Increasingly HMOs provide language access services for LEP Californians, perhaps resulting from public reporting and anticipated state regulation, although similar trends in other states cannot be ruled out.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 474-498 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2012 |
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Keywords
- Access to care
- Health communication
- Health maintenance organizations
- Interpreter
- Limited English proficiency
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Cite this
State policies and language access in California's HMOs : Public reporting and regulation of HMOs' language services. / Moreland, Christopher J.; Ritley, Dominique; Rainwater, Julie A.; Romano, Patrick S.
In: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Vol. 23, No. 1, 02.2012, p. 474-498.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - State policies and language access in California's HMOs
T2 - Public reporting and regulation of HMOs' language services
AU - Moreland, Christopher J.
AU - Ritley, Dominique
AU - Rainwater, Julie A.
AU - Romano, Patrick S
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - Objective. Describe the status of language access services for California's limited English proficient (LEP) health maintenance organization (HMO) members within the context of voluntary public reporting and anticipated state regulation. Study design. Descriptive analysis of longitudinal data provided by health plans. Methods. Retrospective, descriptive analysis of responses to voluntary annual/biennial surveys of commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and Healthy Families HMOs, 2003-2008. Results. From 2003 to 2008, during California's public reporting of HMO language services, the percentage of HMOs providing in-person interpretation free of charge to consumers increased to over 80% across all product lines. By 2008, the percentage of commercial HMO plans matching new LEP members to providers by language increased to 70%, while 79% provided telephone interpretation services in at least seven languages. Conclusions. Increasingly HMOs provide language access services for LEP Californians, perhaps resulting from public reporting and anticipated state regulation, although similar trends in other states cannot be ruled out.
AB - Objective. Describe the status of language access services for California's limited English proficient (LEP) health maintenance organization (HMO) members within the context of voluntary public reporting and anticipated state regulation. Study design. Descriptive analysis of longitudinal data provided by health plans. Methods. Retrospective, descriptive analysis of responses to voluntary annual/biennial surveys of commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, and Healthy Families HMOs, 2003-2008. Results. From 2003 to 2008, during California's public reporting of HMO language services, the percentage of HMOs providing in-person interpretation free of charge to consumers increased to over 80% across all product lines. By 2008, the percentage of commercial HMO plans matching new LEP members to providers by language increased to 70%, while 79% provided telephone interpretation services in at least seven languages. Conclusions. Increasingly HMOs provide language access services for LEP Californians, perhaps resulting from public reporting and anticipated state regulation, although similar trends in other states cannot be ruled out.
KW - Access to care
KW - Health communication
KW - Health maintenance organizations
KW - Interpreter
KW - Limited English proficiency
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84860465891&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1353/hpu.2012.0020
DO - 10.1353/hpu.2012.0020
M3 - Article
C2 - 22643491
AN - SCOPUS:84860465891
VL - 23
SP - 474
EP - 498
JO - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
JF - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
SN - 1049-2089
IS - 1
ER -